Bradman
Paul Kelly and The Coloured Girls Lyrics

Sydney, 1926, this is the story of a man
The song tells the story of a man named Bradman and his accomplishments.

Just a kid in from the sticks, just a kid with a plan
Bradman was a young kid from a rural area, who had an aspiration and ambition to play cricket.

St George took a gamble, played him in first grade
Despite being a relatively unknown newcomer, Bradman was given the opportunity to play in first grade by St George Cricket Club.

Pretty soon that young man showed them how to flash the blade
Bradman soon demonstrated his exceptional batting skills in matches.

And at the age of nineteen he was playing for the State
By the age of 19, Bradman was already playing for the state team.

From Adelaide to Brisbane the runs did not abate He hit 'em hard, he hit 'em straight
Bradman continued to score runs consistently and demonstrated excellent batting techniques from Adelaide to Brisbane.

He was more than just a batsman He was something like a tide He was more than just one man He could take on any side They always came for Bradman 'cause fortune used to hide in the palm of his hand
Bradman was more than just a player, he was a force to reckon with. He had a successful career and other teams came to play against him, hoping to beat him and elevate their own fortunes.

A team from England came out Wally Hammond wore his felt hat like a chief All through the summer of '28, '29 they gave the greencaps no relief Some reputations came to grief
The English cricket team toured Australia between 1928 and 1929, and despite their efforts to defeat Bradman's home team, they lost the matches and some of their players' reputations were impacted.

They say the darkest hour is right before the dawn And in the hour of greatest slaughter the great avenger is being born But who then could have seen the shape of things to come In Bradman's first test he went for eighteen and for one They dropped him like a gun
The line reflects that a person or a team can face criticism and failure in their initial stages, which can make it difficult to predict their future success. Bradman also initially struggled in his first test, but he went on to achieve incredible success.

Now big Maurice Tate was the trickiest of them all And a man with a wisecracking habit But there's one crack that won't stop ringing in his ears 'Hey Whitey, that's my rabbit' Bradman never forgot it
Even though Bradman faced numerous top bowlers, Maurice Tate towered above everyone. Tate had a wisecracking habit, but he crossed a line when he made a taunt against Bradman. Bradman remembered it.

England 1930 and the seed burst into flower All of Jackson's grace failed him, it was Bradman was the power He murdered them in Yorkshire, he danced for them in Kent He laughed at them in Leicestershire, Leeds was an event Three hundred runs he took and rewrote all the books That really knocked those gents The critics could not comprehend his nonchalant phenomenon 'Why this man is a machine,' they said. 'Even his friends say he isn't human' Even friends have to cut something
In England in 1930, Bradman played in a series of matches where he performed exceptionally, taking on top bowlers and scoring over 300 runs. He broke records and amazed both audiences and critics with his seemingly effortless style of play. Even his friends were awe-struck by his talent.

Summer 1932 and Captain Douglas had a plan When Larwood bowled to Bradman it was more than man to man And staid Adelaide nearly boiled over as rage ruled over sense When Oldfield hit the ground they nearly jumped the fence Now Bill Woodill was as fine a man as ever went to wicket And the bruises on his body that day showed that he could stick it But to this day he's still quoted and only he could wear it 'There's two teams out there today and only one of them's playing cricket.'
In the summer of 1932, during a match between England and Australia, a fast bowler named Harold Larwood aimed to take down Bradman. Bradman was hit by a ball and his teammate Oldfield was hit by another. This led to a tense situation between the two teams. Despite this, Bill Woodill, a teammate of Bradman's, continued to play on despite being injured. Later, Woodill famously quipped that only one team was playing cricket that day.

He was longer than a memory, bigger than a town He feet they used to sparkle and he always kept them on the ground Fathers took their sons who never lost the sound of the roar of the grandstand
Bradman was a legendary figure in cricket, whose legacy continued long after his retirement. He was known for his agility and the excitement he brought to the game. His fans even took their children to watch him play, in order to experience the thrill of the game.

Now shadows they grow longer and there's so much more yet to be told But we're not getting any younger, so let the part tell the whole Now the players all wear colours, the circus is in town I can no longer go down there, down to that sacred ground
The author reflects on his own aging and on the changes in cricket since Bradman's time. He laments that the current cricket scene seems more commercial and less sacred or pure than it used to be.